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Garland set to play more on defense

Falcons guard/center Ben Garland has earned more action with the defensive line.

He played four defensive snaps and made one tackle in thee 38-19 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Garland, who played for Air Force from 2006-09, totaled 115 tackles, 11.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two blocked kicks in his 39-game career. He made 34 starts.

Garland also played on the defensive line against Denver and New Orleans. He played three snaps against the Broncos and had a quarterback sack that was nullified by a penalty.

Near the end of training camp, without being asked, Falcons coach Dan Quinn would bring up the fact that Garland, a converted defensive tackle playing offensive guard/center, was performing well.

Garland (6-foot-5 and 308 pounds) is from Grand Junction, Colo., and originally signed with the Broncos. After Denver released him, he was signed to the Falcons’ practice squad and converted to an offensive lineman.

Related

110315 GAINESVILLE: — Former Falcons defensive tackle Rod Coleman and Falcons offensive lineman Ben Garland tower over participants during the NFL PLAY 60 Character Camp at Gainesville High School on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 in Gainesville. NFL PLAY 60 is the leagueâ€™s campaign to encourage kids to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity. Curtis Compton / ccompton@ajc.com

Garland, a former second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, serves as a captain in the Colorado Air National Guard at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo., in the offseason.

The Falcons signed Trevor Robinson to help backup starting center Alex Mack and the guards.